NASCAR Cup Series star issues retirement verdict after huge official announcement

NASCAR star Shane van Gisbergen has made an important reveal regarding his Cup Series retirement having been quizzed on the matter by the media ahead of his win at Watkins Glen.

The Kiwi made a huge announcement in recent days, confirming a new multi-year contract with Trackhouse Racing that will see him continue to drive the No. 88 Chevrolet for the foreseeable future.

He celebrated that new deal in the best possible way on Sunday, winning the Go Bowling at The Glen in dominant fashion to add precious points to his playoff tally.

Van Gisbergen's transition into a NASCAR Cup Series regular has been remarkable, starting with a one-off appearance in the Cup at Chicago in 2023 and then moving on to a full-time drive in the Xfinity Series in 2024, before doing the same into the Cup Series for 2025.

His success on road tracks this year compared to his struggles on ovals has sparked plenty of debate about NASCAR's win and you're in playoff system, but when quizzed on retirement, van Gisbergen has no plans to call it quits any time soon.

“I don’t really know. I haven’t thought about it," van Gisbergen told the media when asked if he had a retirement timeline in mind. "I definitely have a lot of years left in me."

READ MORE: NASCAR star OUT of Cup Series race at Watkins Glen after freak injury

Shane van Gisbergen speaks out on NASCAR retirement

Elaborating further, van Gisbergen revealed that he has a long racing career ahead of him, and also wants to try more races outside of NASCAR.

"We’re lucky as race car drivers," he added. "We have a very long shelf life. You see, guys competitive until their late 40s, so I can go as long as I want.

"But I do have other things in racing I want to try. I still want to do some European stuff. I want to do Nürburgring 24. That’s on my list to do properly. I want to do a bit more rally car driving. I got into that [in] 2021-22."

Despite that, his priority very much remains NASCAR for now.

"But definitely for now, I want to stay in NASCAR and concentrate on that, but I don’t have a [retirement] timeline," van Gisbergen added.

"Two years ago, I wasn’t meant to be here, so I’m really happy here at the moment and can see myself doing it for a while."

READ MORE: NASCAR star protests his innocence at Watkins Glen after HUGE penalty

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